Chairman, Pakistan Tanners' Association (PTA), Khurshid Alam has once again strongly condemned in a press statement issued on Thursday to the gas closure and electricity load shedding in country specially in the leather industry of Pakistan, which is already confronting severe crisis of its history, which is certainly causing great hardships in the production to fulfil the export orders committed by the PTA's members with their valued foreign buyers/customers
Khurshid Alam, Chairman, Pakistan Tanners Association also informed to the print and electronic media in his press briefing that PTA's members, who were vigorously engaged in the promotion of country's exports are now unable to compete the international prices of finished leather after value addition being offered by the Chinese, Indian, Bangladeshi leather manufacturers as experienced during the participation in world mega event of the leather industry ie Asia Pacific Leather Fair held from 30th March to 1st April, 2011 at Hong Kong owing to these inevitable circumstances of gas suspension, frequent electric load shedding, high production cost, unavailability of raw materials, unnecessary burden of taxes imposed by the Government of Pakistan on leather industry of Pakistan and already loosing valued export orders from their potential foreign buyers/customers, which is bringing adverse affect to the clientele in general and loosing the precious foreign exchange in particular.
This alarming situation has repeatedly been brought into the notice through press releases and special PTA's letters addressed to the President of Pakistan, Prime Minister of Pakistan, Commerce Minister, Chairman, FBR, Finance Minister and other concerned ministries/departments, but nothing has come out as yet, besides the situation is being converted from deteriorated to worst day by day specially for leather industry of Pakistan.
The Chairman, PTA, Khurshid Alam apprehended that if this critical situation may not be addressed immediately for the restoration of gas and power supply to the leather industry frequently specially in Punjab, then PTA's members would have no choice to join the agitation/protest already announced by other business communities in Pakistan.-PR